Alice arrived at White Mountain City with Marino and thousands of men from Band of Brothers mercenary group. Anfey was worried about how he should receive Alice. After hearing that Marino was with her, he decided to bring all the important people to greet them.

Before Alice’s arrival, all the magic portals in the city became very busy. The most important letters to Anfey were from Saul and Yolanthe.

Yolanthe praised his achievements and his strength, and the wording of the letter showed that the king was very excited about what Anfey had achieved. Clearly, he did not expect Anfey to achieve what he had, and Anfey’s victory at White Mountain City came as a pleasant surprise. Yolanthe also gave Anthony the t.i.tle of duke, the same rank Marino received. Yolanthe asked Anfey to give the letter to Baery and have Baery give the news to Anthony.

Anfey understood why Yolanthe gave him the letter. If Anthony was trustworthy, then Yolanthe could openly make him a n.o.bleman. If he wasn’t, Anfey should destroy the letter immediately. When Yolanthe gave Marino his t.i.tle, Baery had been the one to deliver the news. Yolanthe couldn’t go to White Mountain City, and Christian was still not as important. The only fitting person to deliver the news was Baery. This was a risk, because if Scarlet learned that Baery had left his army, what would she do? But Yolanthe couldn’t just let anyone announce the news.

Anfey was very surprised because Yolanthe clearly trusted him enough have him make the decision alone. Yolanthe was very good at finding capable people, and when he found someone he believed was capable of great things, Yolanthe would trust this person.

Anfey wasn’t an ambitious person, and he achieved what he did because of luck and chance. He wanted to be a part of the society and was changed by society. He valued power much more than had had before.

Saul’s letter did not praise him. Instead, Saul kept reminding Anfey to be humble and not let his success cloud his judgement. Then he wrote briefly about what was happening in Sacred City. Saul told him not to be worried about anything in Sacred City because what he had done in White Mountain City was enough to silence any voices of objection against him in the court.

Yolanthe had told the court that Anfey had known a supreme power when he was a child. Even though some had already learned of this, most of the people in the court did not know. This turned the tide in favor of Anfey, and the n.o.bles began praising Yolanthe for his wisdom.

Some n.o.blemen might not have been smart enough to be part of the political conflict, but everyone knew how rare and important a supreme power was. If Anfey really had studied under a supreme power and was on track to become a supreme power himself, then he would be an invaluable addition to Maho Empire. Yolanthe would never sabotage such a valuable alliance just because a few n.o.blemen were upset with Anfey.

This was why the situation in Sacred City changed so fast. The n.o.bility tried to make their transitions smooth to avoid becoming laughingstocks and began praising Anfey and Yolanthe. The last known supreme power was a pope from hundreds of years ago. If Anfey became a supreme power, it would be good for the empire. If he didn’t, he still had a teacher who was a supreme power who could help Maho Empire.

Baery sent a letter as well, writing about Scarlet and her army. After the alliance took over White Mountain City, Scarlet set out towards Blackwater City. It seems like Shansa Empire was gathering manpower other than with the aid King Jerrick sent.

The changes in the country would affect him in the future, but that was not Anfey’s immediate concern. He stood on the wall and watched the approaching carriages and mercenaries. He was very glad that he had been able to solve the money situation. This way, he could resolve Alice’s money and wage situation.

The previous day, Anfey had spoken with the merchants from Tumen Commercial Union. He thought that the merchants would be strict and the negotiation would be difficult, but the merchants surprised him by agreeing to his deal immediately.

Anfey could tell that the merchants really did want to help him, because the merchants were smart men and knew the importance of siding with the right person. Even though he wasn’t familiar with the ways of the merchants, he didn’t need to look too much into this situation. He signed a contract with the merchants and borrowed twelve thousand gold pieces from them.

The merchants were from Tumen Commercial Union, and Maho Empire had been protecting their union for decades. These merchants knew how well Yolanthe treated them. Anfey was Yolanthe’s representative, and the merchants respected him. He was also the head of the alliance and had just taken over White Mountain City. The merchants knew Anfey could very well become the person to unite Country of Mercenaries. Working with Anfey worked in their favor.

Anfey narrowed his eyes and spotted Marino and Alice. Anfey hopped off the wall and hurried out of the gate, followed by Christian, Suzanna, Anthony, the other mercenary leaders, and the mages. Zubin brought David along as well.

"Welcome," Anfey said, waving at Marino. He turned to Alice and said with a smile, "I’m afraid you’re going to be very busy."

Alice and Marino turned to Anfey but did not say anything. Anfey had killed Michael, meaning that he must be about to break through and become a supreme power. So many people worked towards this goal and failed. If he could achieve this goal when he was this young, what would he do in the future? Alice realized that she had made a mistake trying to seduce Anfey just after she met him.

At that time, Anfey had not been very close with Suzanna. She must have made a bad impression then. If she tried to evoke his sympathy and show her abilities bit by bit, she was certain that she would never have lost to Suzanna. Of course, now it was too late and she couldn’t seduce him anymore. She could only do everything possible to try and make herself invaluable to his team. This way, he would recognize her power and keep her in his inner circle, which was the center of power in this country right now.